HDSB (Halton District School Board) is teaming up with the City of Burlington as well as Burlington Public Library for a truly unique and outstanding community project called the Alton Community Campus. Click here to read more . . .

On August 2, 1815, the Mississauga Indians sold the British Government the Mississauga Tract from the Etobicoke Creek to Burlington Bay, 26 miles of shoreline and five miles inland, consisting of 70,784 acres. The negotiations took place at the Government Inn on the east bank of the credit River under the supervision of superintendent of Indian Affairs, the Honorable William Claus. The host was the operator of the Inn, Thomas Ingersoll. Toronto Township came into being, comprising 29, 569 acres of this transaction with a mile on either side of the Credit River designed as the Mississauga Indian Reserve. Click here to read more . . .

The little village of Meadowvale, at the junction of Derry Road West and the Second Line, was first settled in 1820, near to the Credit River which provided the power for the mills and foundry that were developed in the area. By the 1850s Meadowvale had two hotels, a wagon shop and a school. Later the area became popular as a haven for artists. Many of the homes were built in the mid-19th century and are still standing. In 1980 Meadowvale Village became the first heritage conservation district in Ontario. Click here to view historical images . . .

RETIREMENT LIVING

SENIOR LIVING IN MISSISSAUGA

We all save for our retirement and then what? We can have our days packed with lunches, weekly outings to the casinos or a professional sporting event. Working out in a state of the art health centre or playing billiards in the weekly tournament. Sometimes we don't have to get out of bed until after lunch and sometimes we don't have to go to bed until after midnight.

You would think we were all back in college but no - this is the life in the new Retirement Communities of today. Click here to read more.

DID YOU KNOW?

WE ALL SAVE FOR OUR RETIREMENT AND THEN WHAT? We can have our days packed with lunches, weekly outings to the casinos or a professional sporting event. Working out in a state of the art hearth centre or playing billiards in the weekly tournament.

The loan and mortgage process is a stressful and sometimes frustrating process. The idea is to make the entire process go as smoothly as possible. What is most important? Be prepared before you sit down with your loan officer.

Time-of-use pricing has come into effect for smart meter users in Ontario. Time-of-use pricing is designed to encourage Ontarians to shift some electricity use to off-peak hours by better reflecting the way the electricity market works.

Here's a comprehensive list on what's taxable under the New HST, and what's Not - Plain, Simple and Easy to Understand!

All borrowers will be required to meet the standards for a five-year fixed rate mortgage even if they choose a mortgage with a lower interest rate and shorter terms.

Here is a clause-by-clause plain language explanations of the legal terminology used throughout the Standard Agreement of Purchase & Sale. Understanding what you are signing is essential to having a successful transaction.

If you're thinking about buying a piece of real estate as an investment property, market conditions are definitely in your favour. While the resale housing market has seen a tremendous amount of activity from first-time buyers in the past year,

Will home prices drop 10% in the next year?:
According to the TD Bank (and several other sources) the Canadian real estate market is 10 to 15% overvalued and is due for a market correction. Some more aggressive analysts suggest the dip could be as high as 30 to 40%. “The excessive pricing of Canadian housing in relation to fundamentals is now clearly correcting,” says TD Bank economist Grant Bishop. “

An Ipsos Reid survey commissioned by OREA and released in October reveals that 56 per cent of Ontarians mistakenly believe that the new Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) applies to the full purchase price of a resale home. In fact, the HST is only levied on the various transaction
fees associated with the purchase of a home that has been previously occupied (i.e. not a newly-built home).

PROPERTY VALUES BY STREET

BUYING REAL ESTATE

How will you know a good house when you see it? What if you buy a house and can't sell the one you own? How can you make sure you are making a good investment? What if you think you paid too much and home prices drop?

After years of hefty home-price appreciations, it's natural to wonder how long the good times will last. Real estate markets are cyclical: prices go up and they go down.

However, over the long term in this country, prices have tended to move higher.

At the end of the 1970s, after a big run up in home prices, real estate agents had a hard time believing that prices could go any higher. The market did cool in the early 1980s. But today home prices are much higher than they were in the early 80s.

HOUSE HUNTING TIP: To protect yourself when you buy a home, adopt a long-range horizon. Don't buy unless you plan to hold the property for at least 5-10 years.